PHOTOS: Worst floods in 120 years sweep the Balkans; over 4 million affected

The Balkan countries of Serbia and Bosnia have been battered by the worst floods in the last 120 years in the region. Almost four million people have been affected by the floods, government officials said.

Muddy waters from the Sava river have submerged houses, churches, mosques and roads in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia after record rainfall last week wreaked havoc across the region. There were fears that human bodies and animal carcasses could lead to disease outbreaks.

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 “More than 100 000 people have been evacuated in Bosnia alone, said Stanko Sliskovic of Bosnia’s emergency services, with tens of thousands more displaced in neighbouring countries. “This is the biggest exodus since the end of the 1992-1995 war,” he said. 

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According to official figures, at least 39 people have died in Bosnia alone. “The consequences ... are terrifying,” said Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija, adding, “The physical destruction is not less than the destruction caused by the war.” 

In Serbia, about 6,00,000 of its 7.2 million inhabitants were affected by ‘severe floods following the heaviest rains the Balkans have witnessed in 120 years,’ the UN’s World Food Programme said in a statement.

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Property damage alone is estimated a $1.37 billion, said Elvir Camdzic, a presidential adviser. Following the mishap, rescue teams, donations, helicopters and boats are being sent from Europe to help Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Turkey, Greece, Norway have all sent aid to the affected countries. 

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And as if the flooding and property damage was not enough, rescuers must now grapple with another concern: the risk of landmines from the Bosnian war resurfacing. “A vast number of landslides have worsened the situation and relief efforts,” the Red Cross said. “There are reports that landmines buried during the conflict and not yet removed are in some instances being shifted with the landslides, adding (to) the dangers of people living in the areas as well as rescuers,” the Red Cross said.